Invitation to Science for Society Lecture entitled Cultivating an Entrepreneurial & Innovation Culture in SA's Doctoral Graduates

The National Research Foundation (NRF) cordially invites members of the media to the latest Science for Society Lecture. Entitled Cultivating an Entrepreneurial & Innovation Culture in SA’s Doctoral Graduates, the lecture will host four panellists experienced in training postgraduate students to perform research, become scientists and entrepreneurs capable of creating jobs for themselves and others. The lecture will be held on 15 March 2023 via Zoom.

The panellists are Professor Keolebogile Motaung, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research Innovation & Engagement at the Durban University of Technology and founder Global Health Biotech, a company which develops natural products from medicinal plants; Professor Bavesh Kana, director of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research, a national centre with nodes at the University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University and University of Cape Town; Dr Tiisetso Lephoto, the founder and CEO of Nematech Biosciences Foundation which links unemployed science graduates with science companies and provides mentorship and career coaching; and Dr Anitha Ramsuran, Acting General Manager: Inclusive Innovation, Youth and Skill at the Technology Innovation Agency.

The lecture follows on from an engaging and insightful Science for Society webinar entitled Employability of Doctoral Graduates in South Africa that the NRF hosted last year. It looked into the career and employment pathways of SA doctoral graduates from South African universities in the last two decades (2000-2018). One of the many interesting findings shared during the webinar indicated that the vast majority of South African doctoral graduates are employable, with only 2-3% unable to find employment. The data also showed that 20% of recent graduates were unable to find employment related to their technical skills or fields of expertise. Given these interesting findings and within the context of South Africa experiencing high unemployment rates – which also affect academia – the NRF found it appropriate to further explore the topic of cultivating an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset and culture among postgraduates and in academia with its latest lecture.